One Night
by Faceless Charmer
Summary: She hadn't meant for it to happen. She couldn't even pinpoint when things had changed. When had his visits stopped being something to fear, and instead become something to look forward to? She couldn't exactly say. Time changes everything between Ulquiorra and Orihime, until it finally leads up to that one night, and things will never be the same again. T for non-graphic sex.


**So…**

 **Do I think Ulquiorra and Orihime will get together in the real story? Of course not. (He's dead) But I liked this pairing. Some of you may think that's creepy, but come on, at the very least she cared about him, so it's not like we UlquiHime fans are getting this from nowhere.**

 **Inspired By: A picture I have downloaded on my phone.**

 **Wow, a straight fanfiction that isn't Syao/Saku. Miracles happen, I guess.**

 **One Night**

She hadn't meant for it to happen. She couldn't even pinpoint when things had changed. When had his visits stopped being something to fear, and instead become something to look forward to? She couldn't exactly say.

But as the days and nights in Hueco Mundo passed, looking only like one eternal night, and as she saw Ulquiorra more and more, she started seeing him differently. She'd thought at first that he was just an emotionless doll that Aizen used and played with freely. The thought had disgusted Orihime, because nobody should be used that way. That was all Aizen was doing. Using everybody he came across, using them only to get what he wanted. For most of them, she knew it was fear he used to control them. And some simply wanted to follow the strongest. But it was different with Ulquiorra. He was easy to take control of, because he simply didn't care what happened, didn't feel enough to put up a fight.

Aizen had to be stopped. And he would be. She knew it. She knew Ichigo (strong, determined Ichigo) and her friends would come for her, and save her, and ultimately, Ichigo would defeat Aizen. That's just the way it was. The way it always was.

But as she waited for this, she passed the time thinking of her caretaker. And her opinion of him began to change, becuase the longer she was there, the more she noticed. His (beautiful green) eyes, which, sadly, were mostly empty of any emotion, would sometimes show the faintest glimmer of thought. She'd catch him looking out the tiny window, in her tiny room, the light of the moon reflecting back into his eyes. And she'd see that he was thinking of something, though she didn't know what. What was he remembering? Were they good memories? Somehow, given his demenor, she doubted it.

And sometimes he'd stare at her. It was like he was trying to figure her out. Why she wasn't afraid of him, even though he had kidnapped her, and kept threatening her. And she wasn't sure at first why either. But slowly, she came to understand. Something about him made her want to help him, and protect him. He was like an injured animal, that had been hurt so many times, seen so many things, that he no longer trusted anyone, and found it easier to lose any emotion he may have one day felt.

When she'd catch him looking, (Which he did more and more frequently) she'd smile softly. At first he'd simply look away, but slowly, he began to scowl, (which was better than nothing) and there finally came a day when she thought she could almost see a tiny pink blush across his pale, pale skin.

And she wasn't blind. Ulquiorra was beautiful. His dark as a black hole hair, his eyes that were a green humans could never hope to accomplish, and his lean, perfect body. She loved Ichigo. She really did. But that didn't mean she could't notice how attractive the Espada was.

What did he think of her? Did he think she was beautiful too? She thought she would never know. That Ichigo would save her before she ever got the chance to ask.

But there came a day, (or night, who could be sure?) when Ulquiorra stepped into the room, bringing her meal with him. Orihime was staring out her little window, at what little she could see. And she was wondering what else she would see, if only she could manage to see out. And Ulquiorra spoke, shutting the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She turned around and looked back at him. He looked tired. Enough time had passed that she noticed when he'd had a particularly rough day, though she didn't think anyone else could see it.

"I was thinking about how beautiful this place is."

His brow forrowed. She'd confused him. "This room?" he asked, and she laughed lightly, and shook her head, he bright hair singing back and forth, the only color in the room, other than Ulquiorra's eyes.

"The moon. The sand. This castle. Hueco Mundo. It's beautiful."

He was silent for a couple more seconds, and then, to her surprise, he nodded.

"It is."

She cocked her head, a small crossing her lips. As if reading her thoughts and facial expression, Ulquiorra spoke again. "I know beauty when I see it."

She giggled, and he smiled, cutting her laughter short.

"What other things do you find beautiful?" she asked, hoping to continue their conversation. It was lonely around here, when the only ones who came to visit were those who probably wanted to kill you, and Ulquiorra, who could sometimes be as emotionless as a brick wall.

He was silent, and she thought he might not answer, but then she realized he was thinking it over. She sat down on her bed, waiting for his answer. Eventually, it came.

"Not much. Hueco Mundo is beautiful. Battle is beautiful."

She shouldn't have been surprised by those words. She thought, after a couple more seconds of silence, that that was the end of his answer. But just as she looked out the window again, he spoke, quietly, almost too quiet for her to hear at all.

"You are beautiful."

She whipped back around, eyes wide, and stunned. Had he really… There was...no way. Right? But she couldn't ask him, because suddenly, he was gone. And this time, she knew she wasn't imagining the blush that stained his cheeks.

And he came after that, and each time, she could feel them growing closer. Even in the room, he would come closer, until finally, after days, he would sit on the bed with her. She would try hard to make him laugh, and one day, he did.

Things changed.

She would put her hand on his, and he would let her. He would touch her head, silently, gently, and they'd stare into each other's eyes.

And she knew it was no longer just her admiring his good looks.

She had fallen in love with him.

When he was gone, she thought of him, almost as much as she thought of her friends. She tried not to think what they would think, what they would say. What would she say to them?

She knew that Ichigo was coming for her. That he was trying so hard to save her. But she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't stop her heart from betraying them, and falling in love with Ulquiorra.

And finally, there came a night, after many hand holdings that went from only lasting seconds to lasting minutes. Aftter he'd pressed his lips against hers. They'd been so cold, but felt so perfect against her warm lips.

A night where Ulquiorra came in, and she made room for him on the bed. And they held hands, and they kissed, but after that, he didn't leave. He stayed, and they were quiet, because they knew they couldn't get caught.

It had to be wrong. Orihime knew that. Her heart squeezed tightly in her chest as they pulled off their clothes, and touched their bare skin together, because it _was_ _wrong._

Her eyes shed tears, and yes, they were tears of love, a love she'd never felt before that moment, but she was also crying because she knew she'd betrayed her friends. Let them down. If they knew, they'd probably just leave her behind.

She knew that wasn't the truth though.

That only made it worse.

It didn't feel wrong.

With him, it was perfect.

*(*)

Ichigo came, as she knew he would. He came soon after, and she watched, with horror, as he and Ulquiorra fought to the death. She knew she would lose one of them. And she'd cried in agony when she thought it was Ichigo, because despite what she had done, she loved him still, (which she hated herself for) and even she hadn't, she never would have wanted this. She wailed because it was Ichigo, who she'd thought was the one. And because it was Ulquiorra, who she know knew(I) was the one, who had done it.

But then he came back.

And she lost Ulquiorra.

He'd reached for her, wanting to hold her hand one last time, and asked those words, those words he'd asked before, and she knew he'd never quite believed her when she said she wasn't afraid.

 _Are you afraid, woman?_

He'd called her by her name that night in bed. So had she _. Ulquiorra_ , she'd whispered into his ear, holding him tightly. But he held back now. And she knew it was because Ichigo was there. Because he didn't want to blow their secret. For her. Because he knew she didn't want them to know.

 _I'm not afraid,_ she'd told him, and she'd wanted to scream it, so he'd remember it forever. That there was someone is this universe who didn't fear him. But she could only manage to get it out, with tears forming in her eyes, smiling, even though it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

 _I love you,_ she wanted to say. _Please don't go._

And she'd reached out, and tried to grab his hand, and he'd vanished right before her eyes, his ashes blowing away in the wind.

*(*)

Now, months later, things were very different. Ichigo had lost his soul reaper powers. (Though she never believed for a second it would stay that way forever. And she was right, of course.) They couldn't see all their friends, who they loved so much.

Rukia.

Renji.

Ikakku.

Yumichika.

Toshiro.

Matsumoto.

They were all gone.

At least for now.

But that wasn't all.

Orihime was in her room, her hand on her belly. It was getting bigger. Under her hand, she could feel the kicking, the moving, and each time she felt it, she wanted to cry anew.

His child. Ulquiorra's baby was inside her, and soon, it would be impossible to hide. The secret she'd held onto, like it was a precious toy, a picture that would never lose color, would soon no longer be a secret. Everybody would know.

What would they say?

What would they do?

What would _she_ do?

But Orihime knew. She never doubted. She would keep the child, her and Ulquiorra's precious child. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, whispering softly, "Little baby. I love you so much. I'll never let you go."

His hand she'd never fail to grasp.

And it was a he. She didn't know how she knew for sure, she just did. She could see him in her minds eyes. A little boy, with hair as black as the sky in Hueco Mundo. And eyes a green that only he, a half human half hollow, could achieve. Surprisingly though, he always had her smile, her cheer. That comforted her. She needed him to be a happy child.

"My little boy." she whispered, and the baby in her moved again, as if responding to her voice. She liked to think he was. "You'll look just like your beautiful daddy. You wait and see."

Another tiny, almost imperceptible movement.

"Don't worry. I"ll tell you all about him."

How she wished he would be there, to see their son, to raise him with her. To hold one little hand as she grasped the other, swinging him between them. She could see their life, the life they could have had, stretched out in front of her, a never ending ocean of love and laughter.

And even though he wasn't really there, she would never feel alone.

"My little Sora." she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, remembering that night, that one night that had changed her life forever. She would never forget.

And she would never stop loving him.

 _Tell me again about daddy_ , her beautiful son would say years from now, and every time, after all these years, she would smile, though her heart would ache, and she would sit down, and tell him again.

 _Did you love him?_ Sora would ask, and every time, she would answer yes. And she would hug Sora close, and he would hug her tightly as tears ran down her face, dripping into his hair, her body shaking as she whispered his name.

 _Do you miss him?_

And she would. Forever she would.

 _Are you sad when you see me?_

And years from now, she would answer no, because it was quite the opposite. When she saw Sora, she was filled with joy. He was gone. And he wasn't coming back.

But she would never regret that night.

* * *

 _So there's this theory that Ulquiorra is Orihime's brother, Sora. If that ever turns out to be true...well...this story will pretend it isn't._

 _Thanks for reading, friends!_


End file.
